Advertisers fight back as "Do Not Track" row escalates

The ad industry's clash with Microsoft over Internet Explorer's "Do Not Track" default settings is escalating into a battle for the future of ad targeting and the broader "surveillance economy," experts say. Industry representatives say targeting doesn't have to be intrusive, and makes the free-to-use Internet economically viable, but some regulators and privacy advocates say the industry is going too far. "While many advertisers do support privacy, there is clearly a rogue element of advertising networks that wants to subvert the process," said Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz.